Who was Herman Clurman?
I just received my copy of the “100 Years” magazine produced by The Chronicle and it made for some very interesting reading – especially for some of us alta kockers.
I just received my copy of the “100 Years” magazine produced by The Chronicle and it made for some very interesting reading – especially for some of us alta kockers.
The June 11th Chronicle published four views regarding the Black Lives Matter movement.
Bob Cutler is irritated with Jewish agencies supporting Black Lives Matter. He declared that “Our country provides opportunities and justice if they chose to take advantage of it.” He also wrote that “No amount of money or programs are going to solve today’s societal problems.”
The media mob surrounding the George Floyd tragedy
I find it distasteful and offensive that the JCRB|AJC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City took it upon themselves to participate in the “media mob” regarding the George Floyd tragedy.
Stand up to Jew hatred
I grew up in Kansas City and on my trips to friends in various cities in different states, I always wore a skullcap. Strangers would look at me as if I had horns under my cap. These people probably had never met an Orthodox Jew, or any Jew, so they gave me those disapproving looks. Please note my parents were Orthodox before the Shoah, but not afterward. As I grew up I was influenced by my rabbis and Synagogue Youth Organization (SYO), which merged with NCSY in 1958. My parents were very supportive.
I enjoyed Rabbi Levin’s remembrance of architect Mel Solomon in last week’s Chronicle. The beautiful shul he designed for Beth Torah lives on as a testament to Mel, who was a real mensch, devoted Kansas Citian and a great guy to be around. The photograph of his smiling face that accompanied the story said it all.
Since the spread of COVID-19, we have seen an explosion of creativity in the Jewish world so that we can connect with each other, connect with Torah, and connect with the Jewish people. Much of this has focused on Zoom, Facebook and other computer-based technologies. This time, though, can also be an opportunity to focus on physical Jewish connection that can be home-based rather than synagogue-based. After all, a synagogue is called a “beit kenesset” — a “home of assembly”; a Jewish school is a “beit midrash” — a home of study. Now, we have the opportunity to turn our family homes into a beit kenesset (synagogue) and a beit midrash (house of study). Below are a few suggestions of home-based rituals that can add new energy to your home-based Jewish life.